Marion Arts Festival

Marion, IowaMay 21stSat 9am - 5pm

Founded in 1992 and held the third Saturday of each May, the Marion Arts Festival offers art of exceptional quality, dishing up a singular and highly anticipated event. Consistently ranked in the top tier of fine art events nationwide, the MAF has been named as being among the Top 25 festivals in the country, as the #1 show featuring 100 artists or fewer and, further, as the best one-day event in the nation.

Our annual Art in the Depot activity finds attendees of all ages contributing hands-on toward the creation of a community project later installed as an enduring piece of public art.

The Empty Bowls Project involves more than 500 area students through the creation of over 1,000 ceramic bowls, which are then donated to the festival and sold day-of to raise funds for area food banks.

Our Emerging Artists Program showcases the talents of college artists, who have been mentored to sell their work alongside the festival's slate of juried exhibitors.

Add in a slate of specialty foods and off-beat artist demonstrations. In total, the festival offers a high caliber, fully accessible cultural experience – a day of fine art and flip flops, families and connoisseurs, fun and education.